LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock's three game home stand continues Saturday when the Trojans host Appalachian State at the Jack Stephens Center. The game against the Mountaineers tips at 2 p.m. with Ben Creighton and Steve Shields on the call on ESPN+.
"We keep taking it one game at a time," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "We knew this home stand would be big for us in the conference race, and we took care of business in game one (against Coastal Carolina). We have another very good team coming in here (in Appalachian State), who knocked off Arkansas State on the road Thursday. It will probably be a defensive battle, and we will need to have another solid outing Saturday."
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock and Appalachian State meet for the 14th time with the Trojans holding a 7-6 edge in the all-time series. Little Rock snapped a four-game losing streak to the Mountaineers with the 73-57 win in Boone on January 18 and is 4-2 against Appalachian State at the Jack Stephens Center.
• Little Rock enters Saturday's game still in sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt Conference at 10-2, holding a game and a half lead over Georgia State. It is the program's best mark through 12 conference games since the 11-1 start in 2015-16.
• Little Rock's 10 Sun Belt wins has surpassed the program's combined total from 2017-18 (four) and 2018-19 (five). The Trojans are one of just two programs nationally that have reached 10 wins in conference play, joining fourth-ranked San Diego State who is 11-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
•
Ruot Monyyong ranks fifth nationally in double-doubles with 13, leading the Sun Belt Conference. He surpassed Rashad Jones-Jennings for the program single-season record, set in 2006-07, with his 17-point, 13-rebound performance Thursday.
• Little Rock made 39 free throws in the win over Coastal Carolina Thursday, the most by any team in the Jack Stephens Center and four off the program's single-game record of 43, set in 1989. The Trojans are shooting 70.0% from the line, ranking ninth nationally in free throws attempted (514) and 14th in free throws made (14), led by
Markquis Nowell shooting 88.9%.
• Little Rock cracked the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll on Monday, January 27, checking in at number 25. The Trojans are ranked #142 in the latest NET rankings, second in the Sun Belt behind Georgia State at #109.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
2019-20: 12-10 overall, 6-5Â Sun Belt (T-5th)
Last Three Games: W at Arkansas State (71-64), W at Coastal Carolina (78-58), L vs. Little Rock (73-57)
Head Coach: Dustin Kerns (Clemson, 2002). First season at Appalachian State and overall (12-10)
Key Players:
• #1 Justin Forrest (Jr., G): 19.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 39.3 FG%
• #0 Isaac Johnson (Sr., F): 10.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 45.8 FG%
• #4 O'Showen Williams (Sr., G): 10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 40.1 FG%
• #20 Adrian Delph (So., G): 10.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 40.3 FG%
• #50 Hunter Seacat (Sr., F): 6.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 58.5 FG%
LAST WE MET
Little Rock's defense kept its opponent in check while a second half surge kept the game out of reach as the Trojans toppled Appalachian State 73-57 at the Holmes Convocation Center on January 18. Three Trojans finished in double figures, including a career-high 18 for
Jovan Stulic and a season-best 17 for
Nikola Maric with
Ruot Monyyong adding 11 rebounds.
IMPRESSIVE COMPANY
With Little Rock's win against Coastal Carolina Thursday, the Trojans won their 10th conference game of the 2019-20 season. Heading into this week's games, Little Rock was one of only two schools to reach at least 10 conference wins through games of Thursday, January 30, as five other programs currently sit at nine conference victories.
MONYYONG MAKING A STATEMENT
Making a strong case for Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, Monyyong ranks in the top-30 nationally in six statistical categories. He is fifth in both double-doubles (13) and defensive rebounds (8.35), ninth in total rebounds (239), 15th in rebounds per game (10.4), 21st in minutes (787:28) and 25th in total blocks (49). Monyyong has posted double digit rebounding totals in 15 games while scoring in double figures 17 times.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Ruot Monyyong finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Coastal Carolina Thursday, upping his season total to 13 double-doubles, which ranks fifth nationally. With the effort, he surpassed Rashad Jones-Jennings for the program's single season double-double record in the Division I era, set in the 2006-07 season. He has six more double-doubles than the next closest Sun Belt player, South Alabama's Josh Ajayi, with seven.
EUROPEAN CONNECTION
Marko Lukic set a career-high with 22 points Thursday, doing so by attempting just five shots. Lukic was 4-of-5 from the floor but 12-of-13 from the free throw line. He was aided by
Nikola Maric's 13-point, seven-rebound outing as the three Europeans that played Thursday combined for 38 points.
THIS CLOSE ...
Markquis Nowell came within a whisker of registering his first career double-double Thursday night, finishing with 14 points and a career-high nine assists against Coastal Carolina with five steals. The nine assists is the most for a Trojan since
Jaizec Lottie's nine helpers against Central Arkansas on Dec. 8, 2018.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
A priority of head coach
Darrell Walker has been to improve Little Rock's free throw percentage, and the extra time devoted to it paid off Thursday night. Little Rock made 39 of 47 free throw attempts against Coastal Carolina, an 83.0% clip. The 39 free throws made is the most for a team in the Jack Stephens Center, besting the previous mark of 38 made against ULM on Dec. 31, 2008. It was just four free throws off the program record of 43 made against Houston Baptist on Jan. 12, 1989.
RUOT BLOCK PARTY
With his three blocks in the win over Coastal Carolina,
Ruot Monyyong upped his season block total to 49, which is fifth all-time in program history. Monyyong remains well within striking distance of passing Ryan Moss for third all-time, needing just seven more block over the course of the 2019-20 season.
| No. |
Player |
Season |
Blocks |
| 1. |
Larry Johnson |
1974-75 |
113 |
| 2. |
Larry Johnson |
1976-77 |
82 |
| 3. |
Ryan Moss |
1997-98 |
55 |
| 4. |
Muntrelle Dobbins |
1996-97 |
52 |
| 5. |
Ruot Monyyong |
2019-20 |
49 |
LOTTIE THE CONSTANT
With his 24 minutes Thursday against Coastal Carolina, Jaizec Lottie upped his career minutes to 2,116 and sits on the verge of cracking the program's top-20. He trails Marcus Johnson Jr.'s 2,176 minutes played by 60, who sits 20th all-time, as he is the leader on the Little Rock active roster in minutes and game played (77) while his 551 career points is second only to Markquis Nowell's 622.
#LittleRocksTeam
